Nathan HaleY.

Director/Educator at notjust.

“My creativity saved me!”

In 2012 I was registered homeless. Living in a hostel in Longsight sharing one bathroom and one kitchen between seven other people, who mostly had a criminal/violent backgrounds. Realising my situation I had to find other ways to create income... my creativity saved me!

I have always had a fixation with handmade expression, something that housed my my own personality within it, looking back, each week I had a new hobby that manifested itself into a small income, sewing, garment re-selling, garment re-construction, fashion styling and photography were all on the agenda.

I finally arrived upon getting a job which assisted in me being able to join the real world again.

I always knew I couldn’t work for someone else forever, so I got tattoos in all visible places, starting with my hands first, my throat then my head and face to reduce any chance of corporate work. I fell into Barbering all of a sudden. My life took a rapid turn and all my focus shifted into this new skill I was raptured in, progression and mastery of the Art was something that steered me forwards, I’m self taught. As I overindulged myself in knowledge I made it a personal mission to develop my skills and techniques to take me to the next level.

My head was in the game and after just four months of picking up the scissors, I began taking on clients full-time, two moths after that I went self employed and only three months later I created a brand with my business partner with a vision and a plan to deliver what the Men’s hair industry was missing, Notjust.

Alongside my now cemented work within the Hair Industry at notjust, I continue to produce and customise garments.

It's important that my creativity has an outlet even when I'm not cutting hair!